Washing apparatus



1946- F. BRECKENRIDGE ETAL 2,412,078

WASHING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 4, 1943 m RR mmo Wm N V R E 0 5 0 mwa n K A N n Y RIB FL F'lcLi.

1946- F. BRECKENRIDGE ETAL 2,412,073

WASHING APPARATUS Filed June 4, 1943 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2.

INVENTORS FRANK BRECKENRIDGE LEE R.Bovo.

ATI'O EY Patented Dec. 3, 1946 I 2,412,078 wAsnmo ArrAnA'rUs Frank Breckenridge and Lee E. Boyd, Mansfield,

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poration, East Pittsburgh, Pa a corporation of Pennsylvania 0, assignors to Westinghouae'Electrlc Cor- Application June 4, 1943, Serial No. 489,626

4 Claims. (CL 88-139) 1 Our invention relates to washing apparatus and has for an object to provide improved apparatus of this kind.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved motor-driven means ,for removing washing water from a washing machine.

A still further object of the invention is to provide, in a power-operated washing machine, improved means for driving the washing machine and for removing washing water therefrom, which means is readily accessible for inspection or cleaning.

These and other objects are eflected by our invention as will be apparent from the following description and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a cabinet type washing machine constructed in accordance with our invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the motor and pump assembly shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the front of the apparatus.

Reference willnow be had to the drawings wherein we have elected to show our invention applied to a washing and spinning machine of the so-called oblique-axis type. In this connection, it will be understood that our invention may be applied equally well to other forms of washers whether or not centrifuging is carried into effect. As best shown in Fig. 1, the washer includes a tub structure generally indicated at It and of frustoconical configuration, in that it includes a front wall ll relatively large in diameter and a smaller rear end wall l2 which are connected by a diverging side wall iii. The front wall ll of the tub is provided with an access opening II for the ingress and egress of clothing to be treated, which opening is closed by a suitably-hinged gasketed door structure IS. The tub I is provided with a drain opening l8 formed in the lowermost portion of the side wall l3 and communieatin with a sump l1 fonned within a fitting I 8. Water for washing and rinsing the fabrics is conducted to the tub l0 through a conduit I 9 which terminates in a nozzle 2| arranged adjacent the periphery of the access opening I4.

Arranged within the tub I0 is a basket structure 22 which closely follows the lines of the tub structure It in that it includes a relatively large front wall portion 23 and a smaller rear wall 24 which may be re-entrant, as shown. The front and rear walls 23 and 24 of the basket are connected by a diverging side wall 25 which is sub- 2 stantially perforate throughout its extent, a few of the perforations being shown at 26. A plurality of vanes 21 ar oircumferentially spaced within the basket 22 and extend radially inwardly thereof. As is well understood, the vanes 21 are employed for agitating the fabrics in a body of washing water, the level of which is indicated by the broken line A, during rotation of the basket 22, whereby a cleansing action is effected. The front wall 23 is provided with an access opening 28 which registers with the access opening I4 of the tub. Preferably. the nozzle 2| is arranged within the access opening 28 of the basket, as shown in Fig. 1, so that the water admitted to the tub is directed inwardly of the basket.

The basket 22 is supported by a shaft 29 which is rotated during the washing period at a relatively low speed of, for example, 50 R. P. M.. and,

during centrifuging of the fabrics, at a relatively high speed of, for example, 475 R. P. M.. by means of a two-speed mechanism, generally shown at 3|. and carried by the rear wall I 2 of the tub. As the construction and operation of two-speed mechanisms are well understood in the art, no further description of the same is deemed necessary. It is understood, however. that the mechanism 3| is adjustable in order to select the speedat which the basket is to be rotated. A suitable two-speed mechanism of the type shown at 3| is shown and claimed in the patent of H. E. Edwards, Patent No. 2,284,047, granted May 26, 1942.

The two-speed mechanism is driven by a grooved sheave 32 connected by means of a belt 33 to a pulley 34 driven by a constant speed electric motor 35. The motor 35 includes a driving shaft '38 which supports the pulley 34 and the axis of which is substantially parallel to the oblique axis of the basket 22. The motor is carried by brackets 31 and 38 which are secured at their lower ends to hub portions of the motor 35 in a well-understood manner. and which are supported by the tub structure Ill. Preferably. the bracket 38 is secured to the two-speed mechanism 3! and to the tub Ill.

The tub I 0. the two-speed mechanism 3| and the motor 35 define major elements of a unitary structure which may b supported in any wellunderstood manner within an enclosing housing generally indicated at 39. The unitary structure may be fixed within the housing 39 or resiliently suspended therein. As the mechanism for supporting the unitary structure within the housing 39 forms no part of the present invention, it has sake of clearness and The latter opening 45 is closed by a suitable door I n which may be hinged to the housing, as shown at 41 in Fig. 3.

Washing water is discharged from the tub It by means of a pump generally shown at 50. which, in accordance with our invention, is carried by the front end of the motor Iii. In this position. the pump III is adiacent the front end of the tub where it is readily accessible for inspection or cleaning. In the cabinet type machine shown, the pump 50 is adjacent the service opening 45 in the lower portion of the housing 39. As shown, the pump is of the centrifugal type and includes a casing H, the front end of which is open. and which enclo es an impeller 52 carried by a stub shaft ll. The latter is :Iournaled in a bearing 54 extending rearwardly from the casing 5|. The casing 5| includes a water inlet port 85 arranged on the rear side of the casing and connected by means of a suitable conduit 58 to the fitting i8. Preferably, the conduit 56 is connected to a nipple 51 which is carried by the fitting l8 and the upper end of which terminates in the sump l1 above the bottom thereof.

The outlet of the pump is shown at 58 connected to a flexible conduit 59 which extends outwardly of the casing I9. where it is connected to a suitable point of discharge. As shown, the conduit 6! extends upwardly along the rear of the housing 39 to a point above the level of the water line A so that. when the tub is filled with water to the level of the line A, the pump and the lower portion of the discharge conduit II are flooded. Of course. at this time, it will be understood that the pum 50 is inactive. The casing 5| is provided with mounting lugs. one of which is shown at 6|. which lugs 6| are secured in any well-understood manner to the front end of the motor 35.

The front end of the casing II is closed by a removable cover 82. which is preferably made of trans arent material. so that the impeller 82 may be observed without removing the cover 62. Accordingly. the accumulation of any material within the casing Ii around the impeller 52 which may interfere with the o eration of the pump may be readily seen without removing the cover II. In this connection. it will be understood that we contemplate employing this fluid discharge. system without the use of a strainer and. accordingly, lint or other foreign material may be passed from the tub to the pump, which material is ordinarily discharged through the discharge conduit 59 to the point of discharge. However, any accumulation of material in the pump may be readily observed without dismantling the same.

Preferably. the cover 62 is maintained in engagement with the front surface of the casing Si by means of a thumb screw SI, the end of which bears against the cover 62 and which is threaded in a clamp N, the ends of which engage outwardly-extending projections 85 formed on the casing 8|. When the cover 82 is to be removed, it will be understood that the thumb screw It is backed 4 off to relieve the pressure on the clamp ll. which is then moved angularly sufficiently to bring the clamp 64 out of registry with the projections 85, whereupon the clamp I4 and the cover I may be removed.

Rotation of the impeller 52 is effected by a friction wheel 66 carried by a stub shaft 81 and en- 'gageable with a second friction wheel 8 fixed to the motor shaft It. Preferably, a resilient tread I9 is provided on the face of the friction wheel 60. The stub shaft 61 is iournaled in a bearing 1 I which may be moved upwardly a sufllcient amount to disengage the friction wheels II and 68, whereupon rotation of the stub shaft C1 is terminated. The journal H is carried by a lever 12 pivoted, as shown at 13, to the rear end of the motor 3!. Normally, the friction wheels and as are disengaged by means of a tension spring ll, one end of which is fastened to the lever l2 and the other end to a fixed member, such as a projection 15, forming a part of the rear bracket 38. Engagement of the friction wheels I and 68 is effected by means of a solenoid 18 carried by the bracket 38, and the movable armature ll of which is connected to the lever 12, preferably by means of a tension spring 18.

The stub shafts 53 and 61 are connected by a shaft member 8i having tongue and groove connections 82 and 83 with the stub shafts 53 and II, respectively. The shaft 8i may be formed of a resilient material so that the axis of the stub shaft 8! may be moved slightly out of alignment with the axis of the stub shaft 53 when the friction wheels 68 and 68 are disengaged. It will be understood that the impeller I2 and shaft Il may be'driven from the friction wheel Bl by suitable driving means other than that shown,

During the operating period, the solenoid I6 is energized when the discharge of vltiated water from the tub is to be effected. Accordingly, the friction wheel 68 is moved into driving engagement with the friction wheel 68 and the pump is rotated by means of a flexible shaft construction 8 I. Accordingly, water is drawn from the sump II on the tub I 0 and translated through the discharge conduit 59 to the point of discharge. At this time, large objects which may be present in the basket 25, such as, for example, large size buttons, book matches or nails, will usually be retained in the tub inasmuch as the perforations 28 are small enough to retain these articles in the basket 25. However, any foreign matter which may pass from the basket to the sump I! will usually be carried through the pump Ill and discharged. However, foreign matter may'collect in the pump casing ii at times and interfere with normal operation of the pump. If it is found that the discharge of water from the pump is below normal, the interior of the pump may be readily observed through the transparent cover 62. Also, the removal of any foreign matter collecting in the pump is readily effected by removing the cover as described heretofore, after which access may be had to the impeller chamber and the inlet and discharge ports.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that we have provided an improved washing machine employing a motor-driven pump for removing vltiated washing water from the tub, wherein the pumpis carriedby the front end of the motor and defines a unitary construction therewith. In this location, the pump may be conveniently connected to the drain of the tub and is also accessible from the front of the washer for servicing or cleaning. when the washer is enclosed by ahousing, the latter is provided with a servicing opening in a front wall so that access to the pump is readily effected through said opening. The pump in the position shown is readily driven by the main motor through the shaft extending rearwardly from the pump to the pulley end of the motor. Accordingly, the motor and pump may be constructed as a unit and tested separately from the washer structure, after which the motor and pump may be assembled to the washer as a unit. The manufacture and assembly of the complete washer is thereby facilitated.

including a casing and an impeller arranged with- While we have shown our invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and we desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. In a machine for washing fabrics, the combination of a tub for containing a body of washing water and having a drain opening formed in the bottom wall thereof, agitating means ar-- ranged within the tub for effecting a washing action upon the fabrics, a motor for driving said agitating means and arranged beneath the tub, said motor including a shaft rotatable aboutan axis extending generally from the front to the rear of the tub, a pump for discharging washing water from the tub and including a casing having an inlet port communicating with the drain opening and a discharge port, an impeller arranged within the casing, a shaft for driving the impeller, means supporting said pump at the front end of the motor with the axis of said impeller shaft substantially parallelto the axis of the motor shaft and to one side of the motor, a friction wheel rotatable with the motor shaft and arranged at the rear end of the motor, a second friction wheel for driving the'impeller shaft and means for engaging and disengaging the first and second mentioned friction wheels.

2. In a machine for washing fabrics, the combination of a tub structure containing a body of washing water and having front and rear walls, said front wall including an access opening, a perforate basket disposed within the tub structure for containing the fabrics to be washed and mov-. able about a generally horizontal axis, a motor disposed beneath the tub structure for actuating said basket, said motor including a shaft rotatable about an axis substantially parallel to the axis of the basket, a pump for translating water from the tub to a point of discharge, said pump means supporting said pump at the front end of the motor with the axis of said impeller shaft substantially parallel to the axis of the motor shaft and to one side of the motor, Ilrst andv second friction wheels carried by the motor shaft and the impeller shaft, respectively, for driving the impeller. and means for engaging and disengaging said friction wheels for respectively' initiating and terminating operation of the. pump.

3. In apparatus for washing fabrics or the like, the combination of a housing having a service opening in a front wall thereof, a tub arranged within the housing for containing a body of washing water, a perforate basket disposed within the tub for containing the fabrics to be washed and movable about a generally horizontal axis, a motor arranged beneath the tub and including a driving shaft having a pulley and a friction wheel fixed thereto adjacent one end of the motor, power transmission means connecting said'pulley and the basket for driving the latter, a pump carried by the other end of themotor fordischarging washing water from thetub, said pump being disposed adjacent said service opening, a shaft for the pump extending rearwardly therefrom to one side of the motor, a frictionwheel carried by the pump shaft and engageable with the first-mentioned friction wheel, and means for engaging and disengaging the friction wheels for initiating and terminating operation of the pump.

4. Inapparatus for washing fabrics or the like, the combination of a housing having a service opening in a front wall thereof, a tub for containing a body of washing water and arranged within the housing, said .tub having a drain opening in the bottom thereof, a perforate basket rotatable about an oblique axis and disposed within the tub for containing the fabrics to be washed, a motor disposed below the tub and having a shaft arranged substantially parallel to the axis of the basket, power transmission means connecting the motor shaft and said basket for driving the latter, a pump carried by the front end of said motor for withdrawing water from the tub through said drain opening and arranged adjac'entsaid service opening, a shaft for driving the'pump and extending rearwardly therefrom to one side of and generally parallel to the axis of said motor shaft, and friction wheels fixed, respectively, to the motor shaft and pump shaft, and means for engaging and disengaging said friction wheels when initiatin and terminating operation of the pump.

FRANK BRECKENRIDGE.

LEE R. BOYD. 

